Last Breath
by VeteranRanger
Summary: Follow the day to day routine of a lone scavenger as he makes his way through the Capital Wasteland, doing what he can to make a living in what's left of the world. From the middle of the city to the bottom of the deepest metro it's clear that post-war DC is not for the faint of heart. [RATED M FOR VIOLENCE, EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND ADULT THEMES]
1. The Metro

**_Deep in the ruins of Washington DC, mutants roam the desecrated landscape and despite the end of the great war, fighting rages on, the fight for survival. Several factions go toe to toe with each other in their search to gain land and supplies. Despite all of this settlements were built as some people try to live a normal life, showcasing the resilience of the human race and their need to fight on and on until their last breath, unfortunately for them, fighting until your last breath is the norm in the Capital Wasteland._**

12:32 PM, East of the Nuka Cola Plant

Dust pours out of the Metro's entrance as I force open the heavy metal doors blocking the way. Taking a step back I wipe sweat from my forehead and let out a long sigh, sliding my other hand down my side and slipping a thumb behind my belt whilst staring down the pitch black staircase. I kneel down and pull off my backpack, unzipping it and taking out a box full of 9mm bullets. After opening the box, I slide a typical 9mm pistol out of my holster and check the magazine is loaded, taking the spare magazines from my belt and filling them all with bullets before putting the box back into the bag. I then take out a black gasmask, pulling it on and checking the filter is locked in place securely. Finally, I take a small flashlight from the rucksack and flick the switch. It flickers slightly before staying on. I stand up and pull the bag back over my shoulders, pulling back the slide on my pistol afterward and sliding the flashlight down my belt.

Slowly stepping down the stairs I hear something scuttling around in the darkness, I shine the torch towards the sound but I'm too far away from the bottom to be able to see anything. My footsteps echo around me as I near the bottom of the stairs, I take a quick glance behind me, the light from outside beginning to disappear. Lost in thought I suddenly realise I've reached the bottom. I shine my flashlight around the lobby of the metro, small radroaches slink back into their holes as the light washes over them. My eyes are drawn to a trail of blood streaked along the ground and into the ticket office, it's dried into the ground so whatever unfortunate thing it belongs to lost it a long time ago. Curiosity getting the better of me I follow the trail until I come to a door. I slowly pull the door open, aiming my pistol into the room and covering most of my body behind cover. In the middle of the room lies a mangled corpse which is all but entirely decomposed. I approach, my eyes darting around to ensure nothing is waiting to give me a nasty surprise. After reaching the corpse I kneel down beside it, something has torn right through its chest, leaving a black void in its place, all that remains is several bone fragments.

I run my hands through the various pouches and pockets on the man's clothes. Finding a few caps I slip them into my own pocket, standing up and leaving the room. I slowly step across the room and open the door to the men's restroom, creeping inside and listening closely for any sounds. A mirror adorns the first wall I see. I walk over to the mirror and wipe some dust off of it with the sleeve of my hoodie, staring into the reflection, my icy blue eyes staring back at me. I shake my head and quickly look around the room, finding nothing of interest and walking back out, deciding to venture further down into the metro. Before I reach the top of the staircase I catch sight of a desk in the corner of my eye. I quickly move over to it and pull the drawer open.

"Yes!" I say excitedly, pulling a laser pistol out of the drawer and checking the Cell port, it's loaded. Thanks to the increasing rarity of energy weapons, guns like these are going for inflated prices, meaning I'll be able to get a decent pay cheque from this alone. I smirk under my mask, sliding the laser pistol into an empty holster on my hip and walking back towards the staircase. I grip my 9mm tightly, aiming it in front of me as I take baby steps down the stairs. My torch flickers, the path in front of me becoming harder to properly see.  
"For fuck's sake…" I mutter, hitting the side of the torch with my hand. Not paying attention to the path in front of me I step on something that cause me to lose my footing, sending me tumbling down the stairs into the abyss below.

I finally reach the bottom after what felt like an eternity. I slowly pull myself to my feet, an intense feeling of pain rushing over my body as I come back to my senses. I look around, taking in my new surroundings. I realise that I'm standing on a train platform, it's clear that it's been out of commission for a long time as the tracks are completely flooded with water and the only carriage in my sight is empty, apart from the presence of a few skeletons. I look down, noticing a corpse floating past me in the water. I take a firm grip of it and heave it up onto the ground that I'm standing on. The face of a young woman is the first thing I see after I flip the body onto its back. Large bruises and cuts cover her face but after further inspection I find what appears to be the main cause of death. Her throat was completely torn open by what looks to be some sort of vicious animal. The woman's dead eyes stare up at me, sending a shiver down my spine. I lean down and shut her eyes, it's the least I can do for her. This courtesy only extends so far as quickly after I check her corpse for anything of value, I reach into one of the pouches on her belt and find a few magazines loaded with .308 rounds.  
"She's got bullets but no rifle, typical." I say to myself, standing up and sliding the magazines into my rucksack.

I step to the edge of the platform and step over into the train carriage, making sure not to fall into the water. I'm greeted by the skeleton of what looks like a child sitting on one of the seats, gripping tightly onto a teddy bear. Her clothing is pre-war so this kid has been here for a very long time. I grab the teddy bear and pull it out of the kid's hand, causing the skeleton to fall off the seat and crumble into a pile of dust. I let out a sigh and step back, staring down at the toy and gripping onto it tightly. Such a simple thing yet it invoked such powerful emotions within me. Thanks to the war I was never given the chance at having a normal childhood, just like everyone around me. I feel my eyes welling up and the teddy slips through my fingers, causing me to snap back to reality. I shake my head and take in a deep breath, turning back down the carriage and walking towards the door. I try to look through the window into the next carriage but it's obscured by dirt and grime. Gripping tightly onto my pistol I slowly open the door and step inside. Unable to see anything due to the darkness I hit the side of my flashlight to try get it to come back on. It flickers once. I swear I saw something there. It begins to flicker rapidly and an obscure shape in front of me grows larger. I hear a loud snarl and my flashlight flicks on, revealing what appears to be a feral ghoul. I let out a loud yelp and raise my pistol as it sprints towards me…

 **If you've gotten this far it means you read the first chapter. This is my first attempt at writing a fan fiction so any comments would be helpful. If the reception is good, then I'll continue to write. Also, constructive criticism is very welcome, thank you.**


	2. The Favour

I pull the trigger, the bullet narrowly missing the ghoul. Before I can fire again it lunges at me, knocking me down onto my back and pouncing on top of me. I drop my pistol and swing my right hand into its temple, the effect is negligible. It attempts to bash my face but the mask takes the brunt of the force, knocking my head back against the train floor. I wrap my fingers tightly around the ghoul's wrists, my fingers digging into its rotten flesh as I push its arms back. A loud snapping sound fills my ears as the ghoul's left arm bends right backwards, almost breaking off causing it to screech loudly. I muster up my strength and push it to the side of me, trading positions so that now I'm on top. I quickly push down the ghoul's arm with my knee, picking up my pistol and firing a single shot into its forehead, grey matter painting the carriage floor.

I stay on my knees for a moment, panting loudly and using my free hand to wipe blood off the lens of my gasmask. I heave myself back up to my feet and take a few steps away from the ghoul's corpse, turning around and looking over the rest of the carriage. A chunk of meat lies in a pool of blood where I first seen the monster, a few inches away lies a rucksack and a hunting rifle.  
"That explains a lot." I say out loud, walking over to the rifle and picking it up by the barrel in my left hand, sliding my pistol into my belt before using my other hand to grip the gun's handle. I pull back the bolt slightly and find that the gun has a round loaded into the chamber. Without wasting any more time I sling the rifle over my shoulder and quickly look through the rucksack. I grab a bottle of water from the bag (it being the only thing of value) before walking back to the carriage door, hopping over the water and making my way back up the stairs.

I leave the metro, pull my gasmask off and make my way up north, back to the small settlement I reside in.

 **2:22 PM, Just South of Megaton**

I run a hand through my thick blonde hair as I walk into the small encampment.  
"Jason!" I hear a familiar voice call out to me from behind. I turn around to be greeted by Judie, a trader that passes by the camp on a regular basis.  
"You get any goodies for me on your 'ventures?" She asks, pulling her pack Brahmin along as she walks towards me.  
"Anything for you." I say sarcastically, pulling the laser pistol from my holster and showing it to her, "How much would I get for this puppy?" I ask, smirking.  
"Not seen one of them for a while, how about two-hundred caps?" She inquires, resting a hand under her freckled face.  
"Two-hundred?" I ask rhetorically. "This isn't a charity; I was thinking three."  
"Two-seventy." She answers quickly, twisting her auburn hair around her finger and looking up at me, her big green eyes trying to win me over.  
"Fine, two-seventy." I mutter, holding the laser pistol out to her, she grabs the barrel but I keep a firm grip of it. "Hold on, you know the ru- "  
"I know, I know." She tuts, counting out a few bags of caps and handing them over to me. "Caps first." She says, pulling the pistol out of my hand when I take her caps.  
"Pleasure doing business, as always." I say, shaking her hand and turning back towards the camp.  
"Dale was looking for you by the way, said he had a job for you." Judie calls out as I'm walking away. I nod and wave her goodbye, heading inside.

I head over to Dale's tent and pull the flap open, heading inside to find him sitting drinking a bottle of whisky, his brown eyes red from crying.  
"What's up man, are you alright?" I ask, stepping over and resting a hand on his shoulder, kneeling down beside him.  
"They took her…" He says, running a hand through his balding hair and putting his bottle down on the table in front of him.  
"Who took who?" I ask, raising an eyebrow and getting back up to my feet and taking my hand away from him.  
"Slavers, they took Holly, they're going to sell her off like cattle!" He shouts, breaking down in tears and burying his face in his hands. "Jason, you've got to get her, please." He begs, looking up at me, tears running down his cheeks and into his beard. I put my hands on my hips and look down at my feet, letting out a long sigh.  
"Where did they take her?" I ask quietly, rolling my shoulders and resting a hand on my pistol.  
"Out east, they've set up a camp and they're moving out tomorrow." Dale says, standing up from his seat and turning to face me.  
"Any idea how many there are?" I ask, looking back at him.  
"There's only four of them, maybe five." He answers.  
"Alright, I'll go at nightfall, it'll be easier for me when it's dark." I say, turning towards the exit.  
"Thank you, thank you so much." Dale says, sitting back down on his chair and watching me leave.

 **7:48 PM, East of Megaton**

I crawl on my stomach to the top of a hill overlooking the camp, I take a pair of binoculars from my belt and inspect the area. One slaver stands guard, armed with an assault rifle. Another two sit by a fire playing cards, one carrying a 10mm pistol and the other with a pump-action shotgun. I see the final guard dragging Holly by the arm into one of the tents. Holly is a short girl with long ginger hair that runs right down her back, she's only 18 years old and along with her pale blue eyes and slender physique she's quite an attractive girl, hence why these slavers want her I suppose. The last guard was holding a plasma pistol, that's my pay day right there. I pull the binoculars away from my face and take a pocket-watch from the pouch on my belt, quickly checking the time and shutting it over. I make myself comfortable, I need to stay up here for another few hours before I can make a move on the camp.

 **Starting next chapter I plan to make these chapters longer, please leave as many comments as possible. Also, if you have any suggestions on where I should take this story feel free to PM me.**


	3. The Slavers

**11:02 PM, Slaver Camp**

I shake my head slightly to keep myself awake. Taking another glance down at my pocket watch I decide now is the time to make my move, I slide the watch back into one of the pouches on my belt and unsling my rifle, moving to the edge of the hill and looking over the camp. The slaver with the assault rifle is still standing guard, patrolling around the camp's perimeter. One of the guards I saw playing cards earlier is sitting on a stool beside the fire, warming his hands. The other two guards are nowhere to be seen but I'm assuming one is in the tent with Holly. I slide down the hill when the patrolling guard turns his back to me, quickly falling to my stomach and crawling into a bush, watching his movements. He walks up to a cactus out of sight from the rest of the camp and places his rifle down beside him. What is he doing? He unzips his pants to take a piss, I use this as my opportunity to gain some ground. I quickly sling my rifle and crawl closer until I'm right behind him. He lets out a long sigh of relief and zips his pants back up but before he can turn around I grab him from behind, putting a hand over his mouth and choking him out with my right arm. He grabs onto me, kicking up sand as he struggles but he quickly falls unconscious, his body falling limp. I gently lay him on the ground, searching him. I grab some 5.56mm magazines from his belt and just as I'm about to leave I notice a combat knife in his sheath. My hand gravitates towards the knife's handle and I slide it out, taking a look at it and unclipping the sheath from the slaver, attaching it to my own belt. I lean over him and place the knife against his throat, shutting my eyes and slicing it open. A gush of blood sprays out onto my chest before reducing to a steady flow from his neck, staining the ground red.

Sliding the knife into my sheath I grab the assault rifle from the ground, flicking the safety off and going into a prone position again. I drag myself along the ground towards the camp, being sure to keep myself obscured in the shadows. The guard sitting in the middle leans back on the stool, lighting a cigarette and slipping it in between his lips, his hand resting on the shotgun which sits on his lap. Just before I begin to crawl over the third guard comes out from one of the tents, holding his 10mm pistol in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other.  
"I finally found it man." He declares, sitting down on the stool across from the other slaver. "I'd say we've earned it after another hard day's work."  
The other slaver removes the cigarette from his mouth and blows out some smoke into the night air. "Well what are you waiting for, crack it open." He says excitedly, sitting up a little straighter.  
"Don't have to ask me twice." Responds the other man, unscrewing the lid and taking a long swig, cringing slightly and letting out a long sigh. "Shit man, that's got some fuckin' kick."  
"Well don't hog it, give it he-" While the slaver with the shotgun reaches over I let out a burst of gunfire into his back, steam coming out of the fire as his blood sprays into it. The guard with the vodka falls back off his seat, quickly scrambling up but before he can run for cover I fire a second barrage of rifle fire. The bullets cut him down as he sprints, causing him to fall over into a bloody heap on the ground. I hear a scream coming from the tent and I retreat back into cover, watching over the camp. The final guard rushes out of his tent, his plasma pistol raised.  
"What the fuck is going on?!" He yells, his voice shaky as he rapidly aims his gun around in every direction. "You better fucking show yourself or I'm gonna make your death slow you rat bastard!"  
After he finishes his sentence I fire a round into his arm, causing him to drop his pistol, the gun sliding across the ground. He falls back, holding the wound and crying out in pain. I emerge from my cover and step towards him, looking down at him in pity.

"You're a tough guy aren't you?" I ask, standing over him and slinging my rifle. "Stealing a girl from her father, from her home." The slaver looks up at me, shock written all over his face.  
"L-Look man, it's just business!" He rapidly crawls backwards, leaving a trail of blood as he moves. "Don't kill me man, I don't make the orders I just follow them!" He adds, glancing over at his pistol and then to me.  
"Well you're in the wrong line of work I'm afraid." I pull the 9mm pistol from my holster and fire a round into his forehead. His head jerks backwards against the ground, blood pouring out of the wound in the back of his skull. I saunter over to his plasma pistol, picking it up from the ground and sliding both of my pistols into their holsters. After that I make my way back over to his corpse, quickly looting his body for any energy cells. Finding a few I slip them into my ruck sack, along with a stimpack I find on his body.  
"Hello?" I hear a feminine voice calling from the tent behind me. I wipe sweat off my forehead and pull my bag back on, walking over to the tent and slowly pulling the flap open.

The girl inside quickly jumps back as I enter, covering her face and sobbing slightly.  
"It's me." I say, slowly moving towards her. "The slavers, they're not going to hurt you anymore." I add, trying to comfort her.  
"Wait, Jason?" Holly asks, looking up at me, her eyes inspecting the blood soaking my hoodie. "Did you kill them?"  
"They're dead, very dead." I whisper, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Did they hurt you?" I ask.  
"They were a bit rough when they pulled me around." Holly responds, "But I heard one of them say that they can't risk damaging the merchandise."  
"Well it could have been a lot worse, you're lucky these guys were slavers and not raiders." I say, helping her up and exiting the tent. "We've got to get you home; your dad will be eager to see that you're safe."  
"Thank you…" Holly mutters, looking up at me briefly before looking around the campsite, her eyes focusing on the corpses.  
"Thank me when we get home, come on." I say, nudging her to keep moving.

 **2:31 AM, Half a Mile from the Campsite**

The wind starts to pick up as we get closer to home, Holly rubs her bare arms and shivers slightly. I suppose being dressed in a tank top and shorts isn't exactly suitable clothing for the weather.  
"It's freezing." She states, her voice shaky from the cold.  
"Here." I say, taking off my backpack and pulling out a blanket from it, handing it up to her. "Take this." I add.  
"Thanks." She says, taking the blanket and wrapping it over her shoulders, a small smile on her face.  
"We're getting closer, we'll be there soon." I say, looking off into the horizon and rubbing my eyes.

 **2:40 AM, The Campsite**

As we approach Holly furrows her brow, looking slightly confused.  
"What's wrong?" I ask, looking down at her and crossing my arms over.  
"There's smoke coming from the campsite, a lot of it." She responds, looking up at me with a worried expression. I glance off into the distance. A pillar of smoke is coming from the campsite, as well as an ominous orange glow.  
"Shit, come on!" I shout, beginning to pick up the pace and unslinging my hunting rifle. As we come to the entrance of the campsite I spot a pack Brahmin sprawled out across the ground, blood pouring from several holes dotted around its torso.  
"Stay back." I order Holly. She nods and slinks down behind the Brahmin's corpse, out of sight. I advance further into the camp, hearing some loud grunts of pain. I sprint towards the sound and find Judie perched up against a tent, a bleeding stab wound on her stomach.  
"Jason?" She yelps out weakly, looking up at me. I run over and kneel down beside her.  
"What happened?!" I ask, taking my backpack off and pulling out the stimpack I found earlier and looking down at the wound.  
"Raiders, everyone's dead Jason, they killed all of them." She mutters, her eyes welling up slightly.  
"Fuck's sake… Hold still." I say, injecting her with the stimpack. "We need to get you to a doctor, that should keep you alive for now, can you walk?" I ask.  
"I can't move a muscle, it hurts so much!" She exclaims, coughing up blood onto her flannel shirt.  
"I'll carry you to Megaton, we'll get a doctor." I tell her, resting a hand against her shoulder.

I hear footsteps behind me and turn my head to see Holly.  
"I told you to stay back!" I shout over to her, although she doesn't respond, in fact, she starts running and then I notice what she's running towards.  
"Oh fuck." I quickly chase her, wrapping an arm around her waist and holding her back.  
"Daddy!" She squeals through her tears, trying to wriggle free from me.  
"Don't look, don't look…" I whisper into her ear, but she manages to break free, running over to Dale's mangled corpse. His chest is soaked with blood thanks to a large wound which looks to have come from a shotgun. Holly sobs gently over his corpse, collapsing to her knees and digging her fingers into his shirt, staring down at his lifeless eyes. I step closer and go to speak but I hesitate, deciding to let her have a moment. Looking around the immediate vicinity I find another man's corpse, I step towards it and inspect it. I don't recognise the face and the armour he's wearing seems to hint that he's a raider. A 9mm sized hole on his throat is soaked with dry blood. Not wasting anymore time I quickly search his corpse, finding a note. I unfold the piece of paper and read it.

 _you no di drill boyz get in get out and bring oll di shit you get to mee reemember leev no witnississ. – Donovan_

I slip the piece of paper into my pocket and stand up, looking at the flames coming from several of the tents and letting out a long sigh. I briskly walk back over to Holly.  
"We've got to move; we can't stay here." I say, trying to sound as sincere as possible. "I know this is hard to take but if we don't get to Megaton soon Judie's going to bleed out." Holly sniffs and nods at me, but her eyes don't meet mine. She solemnly stands up and starts walking towards the camp exit. I head back over to Judie and gently lift her up, one arm under her back, the other under her legs.  
"You're not dying today, nobody else is dying today." I whisper as we make our way out of the camp and on the road to Megaton. Behind us the fire roars on and the Capital Wasteland grins from to ear to ear as it adds more victims to its collection.

 **3:14 AM, Megaton**

The three of us enter the town and immediately head towards the home of Doc Church, owner of the town's clinic. Holly knocks on the door in a brisk fashion and after a moment the disgruntled Doctor opens the door, rubbing his eyes.  
"What could you possibly want at a time like this?" He demands, but he stops talking as soon as he sees Judie. "Christ, to the clinic, come on."  
"Thank you." I say quietly as we head down towards the clinic, he unlocks the door and lets us in, shutting it behind us.  
"Set her down here." Doc Church asks, switching on the light and preparing his tools. "Gunshot?" He asks, looking over her.  
"Stab wound." I respond, folding my arms and breathing heavily. Holly sits on a chair in the corner, not looking up at anyone.  
"I'm not gonna let her die but this ain't gonna be cheap." He says. "You two can stay in my house tonight and I'll tell you the cost in the morning but you better be ready for anything." He adds, taking out a syringe.  
"Thank you, I won't forget this." I say, opening the door and getting ready to leave, Holly following behind me.  
"Leave the door unlocked." He says as we leave.

Holly and I head towards the Doc's house, she lies down on the couch and I sit in one of the chairs, taking a bottle of water from my bag and taking a long drink from it, letting out another sigh and staring up at the ceiling. Holly doesn't say anything and soon enough I hear some snoring from her. Taking her cue, I shut my eyes, being exhausted it doesn't take long for me to drift off to sleep.

 **As promised this chapter is a fair bit longer than the first two, expect more of this from now on. As always, I appreciate any comments and criticisms you may have. I just want to improve as a writer.**


	4. The Day After

**9:25 AM, Megaton**

I suddenly jerk awake, opening my eyes and looking around the room, my breathing heavy. After taking a moment to compose myself I stand up from the seat I slept in and rub my eyes, letting out a long yawn. Holly is still lying fast asleep on the couch, I decide it's probably best to leave her there for now and head outside. Light creeps into the room as I open the door but I hear a voice behind me before I leave.  
"Ah, you're awake." Says Doc Brown, standing at the top of the stairs before slowly walking down. "Your friend's alive, she should be okay to walk but I wouldn't let her leave town for a few days at least." He informs me, crossing his arms over when he reaches the bottom of the stairs.  
"Thank god." I respond, letting out a sigh of relief and shutting the door over. "Thanks for doing this." I add.  
"Don't thank me, this isn't free you know." The doctor tells me, furrowing his brow slightly.  
"Oh, of course…" I mutter, scratching the back of my neck. "How much?" I ask.  
"Two-hundred and fifty caps." He declares, a stern look on his face. "No problems with that I assume?" He asks in a smug manner.  
"Two-hundred and fifty… " I whisper to myself, taking out the caps I got for the laser pistol and counting out the required amount. "No problem, here." I say, walking over to the doctor and handing him the caps.  
"Fantastic." He says, slipping the caps into his pocket. "You and your friends can't stay here anymore though, if you need somewhere to stay then I'd recommend going up to Moriarty's and renting out a room. At least until the girl's fit to go back out into the wastes." The doctor explains to me.  
"Well I guess I don't have much of a choice then." I put my hands on my hips and think for a moment, looking back up to the doctor. "Alright, I'll head up there just now. Tell my friend here to meet me in the Saloon when she wakes up, I'll go down to the clinic and pick up Judie." I tell him.  
"Hm, okay. Stay safe now." He responds, watching me carefully as I leave his house.

I shield my eyes slightly as I step outside. After my vision re-adjusts I look around the town, glancing at each person going about their business. While heading down to the clinic I catch the Sherriff looking at me with a cold expression, although he doesn't approach. I head through the door of the clinic to find Judie lying on the bed, awake.  
"Still alive I see." I say, taking a seat on the chair beside her and smiling.  
"It's gonna take more than a bunch of pansy raiders to take this girl down." Judie responds, her thick southern accent accentuating every word she says. She sits up slightly and grunts in pain. "Jesus…" She mutters.  
"How are you?" I ask, a concerned expression on my face as she sits up.  
"About as good as you'd expect." She answers, the same cheerful expression on her face she always seems to have. "Thanks to you." She adds quietly.  
"No need to thank me, it's the doctor who saved your life." I say modestly, shaking my head slightly.  
"Well if it weren't for you I'd be roach food by now." She lays a hand on her stomach, cringing. "I hope it didn't cost you much."  
"That doesn't matter, let's just say you're lucky I sold that laser pistol to you." I tell her, leaning back in the chair. "I hope you're not too comfy because we can't stay in this clinic."  
"That's a shame, we'll just have to move out then, try and find somewhere we can set up a new camp." Judie says solemnly.  
"Well you're in no condition to go back out there, we'll have to rent out a room here." I declare. "But there's a slight issue, I've got no caps. So I'll have to make a deal with Moriarty." I add.  
"A deal with him?" Judie asks rhetorically. "You know as well as I do that Moriarty's a slimy bastard, surely there's something else you can do."  
"Nothing else, unless you want to pay." I stand up from the chair and look down at her.  
"All my caps were on my Brahmin; I've got nothing on me." She slowly tries to stand up, letting out a slight grunt. I offer her my hand and help her up to her feet.  
"Looks like this is our only option then." We both saunter out of the clinic, heading up to the saloon.

The saloon goes quiet as I open the door, everyone turning and looking for a brief moment before going back to their drinks. I step inside, Judie following closely behind me and shutting the door. "Long time no see smooth-skin." Says Gob (a ghoul working for Moriarty) standing behind the counter and cleaning a glass. "Looking for Moriarty?" He asks.  
"Yep, he here?" I respond, scratching the stubble on my chin.  
"In the backroom, go on in and see him." Gob says, placing the glass down.  
"Alright, thanks." I nod and turn to Judie.  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be here." She says, sitting down on one of the bar stools. I turn around and make my way into the back.

Moriarty spins around on his chair and looks up at me, leaning back and smirking.  
"Oh, what can I do for you friend?" He inquires, gripping onto the arms of his seat.  
"I need a favour Moriarty." I explain to him, stepping a little closer. "I need a place for me and two others to stay, just for a few days."  
"A favour? You know as well as I do that nothing comes free, not even favours boyo." He strokes his chin and thinks for a moment. "A room for three people? For a few days? That would cost you a few hundred caps at the very least kid."  
"I don't have enough, I was hoping that my good looks and charm were enough to win you over." I respond sarcastically.  
"Well, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you but you have neither of those things boyo." He stands up and leans on the desk. "Now I'm no psychic, but I'm guessing you want to make some sort of deal with me?" He asks.  
"I'm afraid so." I answer, watching him carefully.  
"Well it just so happens that I have a job for you. Nothing I couldn't handle myself of course but why should I bother when I could get a strapping young man such as yourself to do it for me. Interested?" He asks slyly, his eyes narrowing.  
"What do you need?" I query.

Moriarty shuts the door, lowering the tone of his voice as he speaks.  
"I need someone dead, dead and buried. The why doesn't matter, I just need you to do it, yeah?" He explains to me, grinning as usual.  
"I'm not an assassin, I was hoping you had something a little more mundane." I whisper.  
"Well this is all I've got to offer you kid, you in or are you out?" Moriarty demands, raising an eyebrow.  
"I don't have much of an option, who do you have in mind?" I ask.  
"A little while west of Super-Duper Mart there's should be a shitty little shack. It belongs to a man by the name of Garrett. A short man, bald with a big black beard, difficult to miss." Moriarty discloses to me. "Take him out and then on his body you'll find a pistol with his name engraved into it, swipe that and bring it to me."  
"Sounds easy enough." I say, nodding. My eyes light up and I take the note that I found on the raider from my pocket. "I have another favour to ask, can you take a look at this and see if you can dig anything up about who this Donovan guy is while I'm out?" I request of Moriarty, holding the paper out to him.  
"Well since you're being such a good boy for me I'll see what I can find, good luck." He takes the note from me and unfolds it, scanning his eyes over and putting it down on his desk. "Tell your friends they can stay in here until you get back, the room up the stairs and on the left."  
"Thanks, I'll see you soon Colin." I say, leaving his room and heading back into the bar.

I spot Holly and Judie sitting beside each other on bar stools, Judie turns her head to me and smiles as I approach.  
"Work something out?" She asks, raising an eyebrow.  
"Yeah, Moriarty says you two can stay here while I'm out." I say, unslinging my assault rifle and handing it to Judie. "Keep this, I don't want to carry too much while I'm out."  
"What does he want you to do?" Holly asks softly, almost under her breath.  
"Just run an errand, nothing serious." I respond, taking a step back. "I shouldn't be too long, go to the room upstairs, first one on the left. Don't leave until I get back."  
"Be careful." Says Holly, standing up and helping Judie to her feet.  
"Don't get yourself killed partner." Judie tells me, patting my shoulder before heading upstairs with Holly. I stand with my hands on my hips for a moment, taking in a deep breath before heading out of the bar.

As I approach the town's exit the Sherriff stops me in my tracks.  
"I heard you came here last night, with an injured girl." Lucas says, his hands in the pockets of his coat. "Mind if I ask what exactly happened?"  
"The camp just down the road, South from here. It got raided, the girl was injured so I brought her here." I explain quickly, eager to leave.  
"How many survivors?" He asks, a suspicious look on his face.  
"Only three as far as I know, me and two girls. They're staying in Moriarty's just now." I tell him, scratching the back of my neck. "Can I go?"  
"Alright, watch your back out there." The Sherriff tells me as I make my way out of the town, taking a quick glance back before the door shuts behind me.

 **10:00 AM, Just West of Super-Duper Mart**

I unsling my hunting rifle, looking around me as I walk down the road. Further up I spot the shack that I'm guessing is the one I'm looking for. I pull a scarf out of my rucksack, wrapping it around my face to keep my identity concealed. Looking around I spot a small hill overlooking the shack, without wasting any time I climb up, going down onto my stomach and crawling over to the edge. I lean the forearm of my rifle on the ground and aim the sights at the entrance. After what feels like forever the door opens and a short man with no hair and a black beard emerges, he takes a cigarette from his pocket and lights it with a match before sticking it into his mouth. I take a deep breath, focusing the front sight on his chest and putting my finger on the trigger. I begin to slowly squeeze, hesitating slightly. I shut my eyes and slowly exhale, firing a round towards the man. Red mist fills the air in front of my target as the bullet launches him onto his back. I pull my face away from the rifle, looking down at him. Satisfied, I stand up and slide down the hill, walking towards him. As I approach I sling my rifle, keeping a hand on my pistol as I inspect him. Before I have any time to react he quickly pulls a pistol from his pocket firing a few rounds in my direction. I feel a sharp pain in my left shoulder as a bullet hits me, causing me to yell out in pain. I quickly sprint to my right, diving behind a crate and leaning back against it. I look down at the wound, blood slowly trickles out of the hole and down my arm.  
"Fuck…" I mutter to myself, breathing heavily. I hear heavy coughing from where the man is, being careful not to expose myself I poke my head very slightly out of cover to find that he has dropped his pistol and is lying back, staring up at the sky. I stand up, taking my pistol out and walking towards him. He turns his gaze to my direction, spitting up some blood over himself.  
"Why?" He asks, his voice sounding fragile and weak as I aim the pistol at him.  
"I'm sorry." I say, firing a single round into his head, blood splattering all over the ground under him.

I slide my pistol back into its holster and pull my rucksack off, reaching inside and taking out my last stimpack. I pull my scarf down and use my teeth to take off the cap before pulling up my sleeve to expose the skin around the wound. As I put the needle into my flesh I breathe out heavily, pushing down the plunger and sighing in relief. I pull my sleeve back down and slowly walk over to my target's corpse, grabbing his pistol and dropping it into my rucksack, picking it up and slinging it over my shoulder. I press my right hand against the wound to stop it bleeding as much, sauntering back down the road, towards Megaton.

 **10:27 AM, Megaton**

I step into Moriarty's saloon, my hand soaked with blood as I continue to apply pressure to the wound.  
"Jesus Christ." I hear a familiar Irish voice say as Moriarty pulls me along into the backroom, people in the bar casting me strange looks as he does so.  
"He's dead." I say quietly as Moriarty helps down onto his chair.  
"Seems like he got a bit of you as well kid." He quips, shaking his head slightly. "You've got his gun?"  
"Yeah, I've got it." I shake my rucksack off my shoulder and reach inside it, pulling out the pistol and handing it over to him. "Do you have a bandage?" I ask. Moriarty nods and opens a first aid kit, pulling a bandage out and walking over to me. He unzips my hoodie and helps me take it off, pulling up the sleeve of my shirt and wrapping the bandage around the wound.  
"That should stop you from bleeding out." He says, leaning back against his desk. "Right, well a deal's a deal. You and your lackeys can stay here for the next three or four days."  
"Did you find out anything about that note?" I ask, looking up at him.  
"Well, not a lot but I did find something." He tells me. "Donovan is the name of a raider leader from out North, towards Baltimore. All I can think is that he's expanding his influence to DC."  
"Any idea how I could find out more information?" I inquire, standing up from the chair.  
"I'd say your best bet is to talk to Jericho kid, though don't expect much intellectual conversation from him." Moriarty tells me, crossing his arms. "He used to be a raider so chances are he might know a thing or two about this Donovan fella."  
"Alright, I'll speak to him soon, thanks for your help Colin." I say, nodding to him and shaking his hand.  
"Don't mention it kid, seriously, don't." He says, letting out a slight chuckle.

I pull my hoodie back on and head upstairs towards the room Holly and Judie are staying in. Upon opening the door, I take a quick look around the room, there are two beds, one large bed and a single bed. Judie is lying back on the larger bed, looking over at me as I come in. Holly is sitting on the floor, looking down at her feet.  
"Back so soon?" Judie asks, sitting up. She gasps slightly when she spots the blood on my shoulder. "What happened to you?" She asks, sounding worried.  
"It's nothing, don't worry about it." I say, grunting in pain slightly as I sit on the edge of the single bed.  
"It doesn't look like nothing, you got shot didn't you?" She asks, although she already knows the answer. "What kind of job were you doing for Moriarty?"  
"Look, all that matters is that I did it and we can stay here for the next few days." I explain to her, sighing. "You have my rifle?" I inquire.  
"It's in the closet." Judie tells me, crossing her arms over. "I'm starving; do you have any food?" She asks me, her stomach rumbling slightly.  
"No, I don't. I'm gonna head to the general store soon and sell this plasma pistol so I can buy some." I tell her.  
"Alright, don't strain yourself out though." Judie says softly, lying back down on the bed.  
Holly glances over to me before looking back down at the floor, staying completely silent. I run two hands through my hair and let out a long sigh, lying down to get some rest for a little while.


End file.
